Leafed article



Patented Jan. 1.8, 1938 UNITE srATEs PATENT lOFFICE 15 claims.

This invention relates generally to hinged closure operating means, and specically to booklike, indexed, leafed articles and actuating means therefor. Y

One object of the invention is to provide improved means for mounting and operating a hinged member, such as a cover, as by a rocking movement imparted to an associated member, such as a receptacle or a platen served by the cover.

A further/object is to hingedly associate one or more leaves with such a hinged member or cover and its operating means in such manner that a leaf or leaves may be selected for swinging movement with the cover, or for exposure by the cover or byan overlying leaf, through the application of pressure at a selected point.

An additional object is to provide an improved hinge connection or binding of an accordion type between adjacent edges of a platen and cover, or of a stack 'of leaves, or one or more leaves and a cover, together with a suitable mounting, in order that said cover or an outermost leaf or leaves may separate from adjacent ones at the hinged edge when swung to an open position.

Another object is to provide a suitable form or v forms of movable back.' stop for arresting a hinged cover or a stack of leaves at an intermediate stage of opening, and to permit a further opening when the stop ls withdrawn.

Still further objects relate to means for removably associating a leaf or leaves with a cover and platen in apparatus of this type, and to further features, as will appear in the succeeding description.

Of the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a top plan view of closed apparatus embodying my invention in a preferred form, with a portion of a hand/in broken lines, positionedior applying pressure to the rocking platen on the index of the lowermost one of a stack oi cards or leaves, to

, open the overlying ones ci said stack.

termediate open position, and with a further open` position illustrated in broken lines, following retraction of the stop, all Vmovable leaves being ist raised bypressure applied as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 vis a semi-diagrammatic view corresl Bonding toFig. 3, on a smaller scale, illustrating a modlfication. p

(ci. ie- 104) Fig. 6 'is a View corresponding to Fig. 5, illustrating a further modication.

Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 5, illustrating a further embodiment including a modiiied stop.

Referring at first to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, iii is a'rectangular flat base on which is plvotally mounted a rocking platen l. Said platen consists of a frame which may be stamped out of sheet metal and is formed with a table or platform I2, sides i3 provided with iulcrum points it `supporting it on the base and located nearer to the front than to the rear end of the platen, a

downwardly extending lip i5 substantially in the plane of the fulcrum points, leaving a transversely elongated aperture i6 in the table, and ilexibly or hingedly anchored to the base by a glued .strip l1 of fabric, an elevated transverse edge member I8 at the rear end of the platen adapted to act as a cover stop and separated from u the forward edge of the table I2 by a transverse aperture i8, and a pair of short leg members 2li for supporting the rear end of said platen upon the base.

Glued to the upper side of the table l2 is a u lowermost leaf or card 2l whose area is substantially coextensive with that of the table. Normally supported on said lowermost card, in a closed stack and with their rear edges overlying the opening i9 in a stepped relation, is a series of swinging leaves or cards 22a, 22h, 22c and 2t with their rear edges hingedly connected in series to that of the leaf 2l and to each other, the uppermost leaf 23 acting as a cover for those below.

At their front or free edge, the cards 22e, 22h o ,and 22c are laterally notched or cut away in successively increasing widths as seen in Fig. l, to

vexpose the leaf or card below and to provide an index, such es a group of letters of the alphabet, on the exposed portion, relating to information which may be marked yupon the particular card. These exposed index portions constitute areas tor applying downward, nger pressure on a selected card to open the stack at a desired place, as hereinafter set forth,

The described stacis of indexed leaves hingedly connected in stepped fashion and adapted to he opened at selected points by properly applied force, embodies the broad principle of the leaied article disclosed in my prior Patent No. ,1,420,324,-

of June 20, 1922, and is here combined ln a novely manner with operating devices and provided with a 'novel hinge connection appropriate thereto, as will further appear;

The hinge connection or binding at the rear es edges of the leaves is conveniently formed by a continuous strip 24 of fabric folded into a number of pleats 25E, 25h, 25C, 25d respectively receiving the edges of the individual leaves, and each glued to an upper marginal side of its corresponding leaf so as collectively to form a stepped accordion binding which will permit a limited rearward spacing movement of any overlying card from the margin of the one below it when the stack is opened as shown in Fig. 4, this spacing movement being greatest in the case of the cover 23 and the next leaf 22a It is not essential that the strip 24 shall be continuous in the portions thereof which are glued to the leaves.

The rear or heel margin of the cover leaf 23 is anchored to the base I0 by a restraining strip 26 of fabric hingedly attached to said margin between the free and heel edg'es of the leafso as to unfold away from the leaf like the side of an accordion pleat as seen in Fig. 4, this anchoring member being either a continuation of the strip 24 or a separate strip. Being hinged at each end, the strip 26 constitutes a double hinge binding, and each inter-leaf portion of the strip 24 is similarly connected with the underlying leaf and acts therefor in a like manner.

In the operation of this form of my invention, assuming the stack is to be opened between the lowermost card 2| or facing of the table and the `one above it, so as to expose the information on said facing card or permit writing thereon, the operator presses his finger on the corner of said card as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, thereby depressing the forward 'end of the rocker platen 5 II and elevating its rear end. During the first part of this movement, the action of the rear corner edge 21 of the table I2, or the facing card 2l superposed thereon, pushes upwardly on the overlying'stack through the lower leaf 22, and since the rear end is restrained-by the anchoring strip 26, the stack is caused to turn toward a vertical position around said corner edge 21 until the strip 26 has straightened out in line with the cover 23. A continuation of the tilting movement then causes the st-rip 26 to exert a relative rearward and downward pull on the lower edge ofsaid coverr23 and therethrough upon the lower edges of the underlying leaves 22, 22b and 22a, further moving said cover and leaves angularly to a more open position and spacing or separating them at their lower edges as seen in Fig. 4. This movement is arrested by the cover 23 coming against the stop edge I8, at

which time said cover is in an upright position and the adjacent leaves are leaning against it. A removal of finger pressure upon the forward edge of the device will then allow the rocking platen to fall to a horizontal position and the stack to close by gravity.

By applying the opening pressure forcefully and quickly removing it, the stack may be caused to flop over backwardly to a prone or substantially horizontal position with the platen in normal position as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 4, or, after said stack has reached the upright position shown in full lines, its upper part may be manually engaged and moved over to the broken-line position on removal of finger pressure at the front. This permits writing to be done on what was l the opened-out card. 'I'he stack may, if desired, then be closed by again pressing on the forward edge of the platen to raise its rear portion and produce a pivotal movement of the stack by the action ofthe stop edge Il upon the cover, or the originally the lower side ofv stack may be closed by directly handling the open portion like an open book. It will be evident that the stack may, in like manner, be opened between any other pair of the cards or leaves 22a, 22h, 22C, or the cover 23 alone may be opened, by pressing at the appropriate place on the indexed forward edge and holding down the lower leaf of the pair, as well as those below it.

If it is not desired to arrest the stack in an intermediate open position as indicated in full lines in Fig. 4, the back stop I8 may be omitted. When such a stop is present, it is preferred to have it automatically retractable as by mounting it on the rocking platen II, but that is not broadly essential and said stop may be mounted in other ways. It could also be differently attached to the rocking platen.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein, as in the succeeding views, the thickness of parts excepting the base, is indicated by solid lines, a certain portion of the card stack constituting a filler is made removable vand detachably connected with the table I2 and cover 23 respectively by a flap 28 attached by its rear margin to the under side of the lower leaf 22A and extending forwardly under the table through the aperture I6, and by another flap 29 flexibly connected with the rear edge of the upper leaf 22c and adapted to be slipped into a sheath or pocket 30 on the under side of the cover 23, when said cover is opened out rearwardly to bring said pocket on top.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 6, the structure is the same as in Figs. 1 to 4 except for the omission of leaves between the table I2 and the cover 23 and omission of the bindings for said leaves. In this case a flexible binding or hinge member 24, such as a fabric strip, di-

rectly connects the rear margin of cover 23 with A that of the table I2, and said cover is actuated by the rear corner edge 21 of the table to swing said cover, whose rear edge is restrained by the anchoring member 26, into an open position when the rear end of the rocking platen II is raised by depression of its forward end, as before. In this case the upper portion of the platen is a shallow receptacle having the table I2 as its floor and-the cover 23 as its lid, adapted to receive a writing pad or other contents, and capable of variation in shape as desired.

In the further modification shown in Fig. '7, the rocking platen is replaced by a stiff plate 3| forming the lowermost one of a stack of leaves and cover connected and operating as previously described, said plate being fastened by a flexible hinge strip 32 upon the upper surface of a horizontally movable member or slide 33, upon whose forward corner edge 34 the plate 3l and superposed leaves are fulcrumed for rocking motion. The extended rear edge of the cover sheet 23, shown in open position by a broken line in this view, coacts with a stiff strip 36 which is mounted in a. vertical plane on the rear edge of the slide 33 and flexibly connected therewith at its lower edge, said strip acting as a stopgate which is rigid in one direction, causing the slide 33 to be pushed forwardly to the brokenline position when cover 23 is further opened -out horizontally from the broken-line position,

the lower edge of said cover escaping past the gate 36 at the completion of that movement. On manually restoring the cover to a. closed position, the gaterearwardly yields until it is passed by the lower edge of the cover, and the stack n and slide may then be pushed rearwardly to restore the parts to their original relation. Any of the same manner as described in connection with the principal form.

It will be understood that the form of embodiment may be modified in other ways, as by the use of leaf-anchoring and hinging means other than the described fabric strips, by the adoption of different types or forms of mounting and operating the back stop, and in other particulars, without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the claims.

The invention is adapted for a wide variety of uses, such as indexed collections of telephone parties and numbers, calendars, rules, penalties etc. for card games, and in fact any frequently consulted collection of classified or tabulated information where time saving and greater convenience of reference is desired.

1. `Apparatus of the type described comprising a. base, a swinging leaf having a free edge and an opposite heel edge, a `swinging anchoring member hingedly connecting the base with the leaf at a point on the latter between said edges and adjacent to the heel edge, and means connected with the heel edge of said leaf for swinging the latter.

2. Apparatus of the type described comp a base, a rocking member,a hinged separately movable cover overlying said member in closed stop for arresting the co`ver in an intermediate position, and a connection from the cover to the base for opening said cover by the rockingmovement of said member.

3.,Apparatus according to claim 2 having a upright, open position, and adjustable to permit a further opening movement to a prone position.

4. Apparatus ci the type described comprising a-rocking member, a hinged cover therefor, a

4connection for opening said cover by the rocking movement of said membenand a back stop carriedby the rocking member and movable therewith into and out of cover-arresting position.

-the rocking member.

o 3 8. Apparatus according to claim 5 having one or moreieaves between the cover and table, hinged and anchored similarly to said cover, and

selectively operable therewith by rocking movement of the frame. l

9. Leafed apparatuslcomprising. a base, a rigid rocking frame fulcrumed thereon,` and a stack of vleaves over said frame, hingedly connected at their rear portions and ilexibly anchored at said rear portions to the base, said leaves in theirv closed positions having individual exposed areas forv the application of nger pressure to rock the frame and thereby open the stack between the leaf so pressed and the one next above it.

10. Leafed apparatus comprising a stack of leaves having stepped rear edges hingedly separably connected, means for anchoring said rear edges, and shiftable means carrying said stack for swinging the latter apart to open it at a selected point. Y

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 having a double hinge binding Abetween the members of each pair of leaves, permitting the spacing of one from another atvtheir rear edges in the 4open position. f

l2. Leafed apparatus comprising arigid rocking table, ahinged cover leafA for said table, opened by the-latter's rocking movement, and a stack of leaves adapted similarly to* be opened selectively by said rocking movement,4 and removably associated with said table and cover leaf of said leaves and table, and a leaf back stop on. .said platen, projected by the leaf-opening move'- ment ot the frame to arrest the leaves i'n an intermediate open position, and permitting a further opening movement when the stop is retracted.

,14. Apparatus according to claim 13 in which each overlying leaf is cut away in an indexing formation'at its forward edge, forward of the plate iulcrum, toexpose an individual finger.

pressure area on the onevor ones selective opening of the leaves. v

15. Leated 'apparatus according to claim 9 below it, for

13. Leafed apparatus 'comprising a base, a

wherein the shiftable means is an underlying plate. together with a -slide havingr 8i fulcrum for said plate,'and a gate stop on said slide, for the rear edge-of the uppermost pulsing of said rear edge.

Gannon s. Lewis.

1m, pei-mamme 

